Pay your Price
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: How...odd it must be to fear oneself. You are me, no matter how you try to deny it. Your fear created me, your anger and jealousy strengthened me. I’ve paid my price, and it’s time for you to pay yours.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

Year 12 IB has started for me, which is going to really slow down my updates, but since I had written this before school started, I'm posting it up now. Now, unlike my other multi chapter stories, this one will be quite short. Might be a bit confusing now, but should make sense towards the end.

There is also one more I started during the holidays and will post up some time either this month or next (hopefully), called The Aftermath, Reflective Accounts, which will be a collection of oneshots based on character reflections on some of the things that could have happened but never did, if anyone's interested.

Now, without further ado...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon. I'm just a girl with a hyperactive imagination.

* * *

**Pay your Price**

'How...odd it must be to fear oneself. You are me, no matter how you try to deny it. Your fear created me, your anger and jealousy strengthened me. I've paid my price, and it's time for you to pay yours.'

Kouichi K. & Kouji M.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

'_Kouichi! Kouichi! KOUICHI!'_

_Kouichi started, immediately jumping to his feet and looking for the voice that was calling him, to no avail. It sounded familiar somehow, as if he should know who was calling him. And then, it suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks._

_ 'Kouji!' he screamed into the darkness. Everything was so pitch black here, it was impossible for him to see anything, except a strange glimmer out of the corner of his eyes. He turned sharply, receiving nothing but a sharp stinging in his neck for his troubles._

_Confused, or more so, he raised a hand and fingered the offending area, before hurriedly pulling back at contact with something moist._

_Frowning now, he pulled his hand away from his neck and brought it in line with his vision, only being able to see a glint of red due to the lack of light._

_Wait a sec...red?_

_That liquid...that coated his fingertips...was blood?_

_But then...why was he bleeding?_

_Why was he even here in the first place? The last thing he remembered, was..._

_ 'We'll take our payment in blood Kimura…'

* * *

_

'Kouichi! Wake up!'

Said boy was currently screaming unintelligibly and trashing around in his bed sheets, the edges off which were trailing on bedroom floor, trapped in a nightmare. Kouji was hovering worriedly over him, trying to hold his brother down to prevent him from hurting himself, while attempting to wake him up at the same time. His attempts weren't working too well though, as Kouichi was just squirming and thrashing more viciously in his grip. But still he fought to maintain his hold; there was no way he was going to let his twin get hurt if he could prevent it.

_Although I should probably be worrying about myself right now,_ the younger twin thought wryly as one of the elder's flailing limbs connected solidly with his stomach, knocking him to the floor, and consequently dragging Kouichi off his bed in the process, as he was yet to relinquish his vice like grip.

Kouji hit the ground first, the air in his lungs leaving in a rush as his back collided with the hard, wooden floor, a corner of the bedsheets trapped beneath him. Momentarily disoriented, it took him awhile to notice the bundle of bedsheets over him, and noticeably longer to realise that the figure trapped in them was talking to him.

'... you okay? Kouji?'

'I'm fine Ni-chan,' he grumbled in reply after regaining his breath. 'I should be asking you that anyway.'

Kouichi's eyes instantly showed various levels of discomfort, and of fear, but no way was Kouji about to let him go without some sort of explanation after a reaction like that. 'Erm..well...'

The door flew open suddenly, saving Kouichi the need to answer. Kouji on reflex, instinctively flew up, forgetting that both he and his brother were tangled together with the bedsheets, and only wound up falling to the floor again and trapping the two further.

There was a click of a light switch, then the bright glare of the overhead ceiling light glared into Kouji's deep blue eyes. Kouichi, who was far more photosensitive than his brother, was lucky enough to have his head stuck in the white sheets, which somewhat lessened the harshness of the glare.

Kouji rolled over and managed to untangle himself from the sheets as his eyes adjusted to the light. Perhaps it was the disruption of sleep that had made the glare so harsh in the first. After all, light was his element, it shouldn't hurt him...

'What are you two still doing up at this hour?!'

Kouji jumped slightly at his father's angry tone, worry laced into its underlines. His father wasn't exactly the best at showing emotions, but he really cared about his children, although the disturbance of sleep was making him more than a little irate. It seemed as though he was starting to regret letting his elder son sleep over on a school night.

It took him a moment to realise that neither twin had answered his question, and he made to repeat his concerns, when something caught his eyes on the white bedsheets. A certain decent sized spot dampened and stained with red. With blood.

It was the sight of that blood that spurred Kousei into both alertness and action; the prospect that one of his two sons had somehow been injured during the night. After a quick check, a very annoyed Kouji was declared free of injury. Kouichi, completely covered in the bedsheets, struggled to free himself, and Kousei moved to help as soon as his younger son's inspection was complete, ordering Kouji to stay right where he was. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Kouji obeyed.

He could feel something was wrong, as his father managed to uncover his barely conscious twin from the numerous blankets, something metallic clattering to the floor as he pulled the last bedsheet free. Blood was splattered on the blankets that had entangled themselves around Kouichi's head, leaving a trail right up to the pillow he had originally been resting on. It's a wonder no-one had noticed the blood before. It's a wonder _he_ hadn't noticed the blood before, having hovered above his brother on that bed for a good quarter hour. But then again, he wasn't the one with night vision, and there aren't many natural sources of light at 2 in the morning.

Kousei hadn't noticed the clattering, and immediately set about checking his elder son. The source of the blood soon became apparent, a deep 5cm long cut along the side of his neck, partly obscured by his hair, and slashing a fair sized vein.

Satomi appeared at the doorway at this moment, before leaving immediately to call an ambulance upon seeing the situation. Kouji remained frozen, both in shock and confusion. How was his Ni-san hurt? And more importantly, why?

Kousei pulled the dazed Kouichi to his feet. 'How did this happen?' he demanded, indicating the injured area.

'Dunno..,' Kouichi mumbled, barely comprehensible. '...thought it was...just a night...mare.'

His eyes grew unfocused suddenly, and his father started, shaking him hard. 'Kouichi!'

'Otou...san...' he slurred, before slumping into his father's arms, unconscious.

Raised voices could be heard downstairs, followed by a door slamming, and pounding feet up the stairs. An ambulance had arrived.

* * *

_ 'Duskmon...' he whispered, afraid. It couldn't be Duskmon in front of him, could it? The spirits of Darkness had been purified. But despite that, the corrupted Warrior of Darkness stood before him. He could never forget those eyes._

_Duskmon shook his head in amusement. 'How...odd it must be to fear oneself.'_

_ 'I'm not like you!'_

_ 'Oh, but you are Kouichi. You are me, no matter how you try to deny it. Didn't you ever wander how it happened that a corrupted spirit would only bind to you and no-one else? You've seen the wraiths that dwelled in Cherubimon's castle. If you are any less than I, you would be there as well.'_

_ 'No..I'm not...I can't be...'_

_ 'But you are, although you refuse to accept it. I've paid my price, and it's time for you to pay yours.'_

_ 'My..?'_

_Kouichi was suddenly cut off as Duskmon's gleaming twin blades suddenly swung in the air. He felt something fly into him, but his senses had become so muddled that he could not tell anything more._

_Duskmon's presence suddenly faded, although not disappearing completely. Less familiar presences could be felt all around him, but not familiar enough for him to be able to discern their specific identities with his muddled senses._

_But he knew they were victims. And they had come to him for compensation. _

'_We'll take our payment in blood Kimura…'

* * *

_

The paramedics loaded the elder twin's pale and unconscious form onto a stretcher and carefully carried him down the stairs, his father following closely behind. Kouji made to follow, only to be stopped by a flash of purple light from underneath the blood-splattered sheets.

Kouji bent down, removing the bed sheets of the floor, uncovering two very familiar objects.

Duskmon's blade...and his brother's D-scanner.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

Hello again. Here's a new chapter. The next chapter will probably be the final one, if not, the one after. Just a word of warning, in some places throughout this chapter, you may have to read between the lines to get the full meaning. If there is anything you don't understand, feel free to ask and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. And I apologize for it being a bit on the short side, but it was just the best place to end it.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon Frontier or any of its characters. All I own is my writing skills and ideas.

* * *

**Pay your Price**

'How...odd it must be to fear oneself. You are me, no matter how you try to deny it. Your fear created me, your anger and jealousy strengthened me. I've paid my price, and it's time for you to pay yours.'

Kouichi K & Kouji M

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Kouji jerked awake with a start. His body was aching, having fallen asleep on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the hospital waiting room. As his eyes adjusted to the morning light, he could see his father asleep in another chair a few seats away, with Satomi on the chair beside him, head resting on his shoulder.

He stood up and stretched, easing the tightness in his muscles, and looked around for his mother. Not seeing her anywhere in the hospital waiting room, he made his way down the corridor they had taken Kouichi earlier. Many hours had passed since then, with no further news of his brother's condition, or what could have caused it.

The police had also been notified, and were investigating for foul play. Not that they would be able to find anything though, as the only evidence to prove or disprove such a theory lay hidden in Kouji's jacket; the red, gleaming blade that belonged to the corrupted warrior of darkness, still coated with his brother's blood.

_But Duskmon's gone now, _he thought. _We purified the spirits of Darkness...but then how did his blade appear? And Ni-san's D-scanner...he never mentioned anything about it...he wouldn't have if he felt bad about us not having ours...unless it appeared as same as the blade...but how? And why now, three months after everything that happened in the Digital World?_

He wondered, but deep in his heart, he knew the answers. Or most of them anyway. Kouichi acted as if nothing was wrong, but he had always been one to bottle up his emotions. Kouji was luckier on that aspect at least, sometimes seeing a side of him he never showed to anyone else, save his mother. But even then, he hid his pain, to keep it from hurting anyone else. But his eyes betrayed him, to the younger twin at least, if no-one else.

And then there were the nightmares. Kouichi had never mentioned anything, but Kouji had felt the trickle of grief and pain in his dreams at night, seen his distress when he slept over at their mother's, or when Kouichi slept over at their father's. And they had worsened of late.

He stopped in front of a room at the end of the hall, seeing his birth-mother talking to a doctor inside. The bed upon which his brother lay was hidden from view by drawn curtains, and he could faintly hear the beeping of various monitors as they monitored the patient carefully.

He couldn't enter now, so he would just have to wait.

* * *

_He was surrounded, though he lacked the presence of mind to know by what. All he knew was darkness; everything else was foreign to him. All he could here were voices which he for the life of him could not identify. All he could understand was-_

_ 'We'll take our payment in blood Kimura...'_

_And then suddenly, everything came into perspective. His senses realigned and focuses; and although his sight was not improved much due to the lack of any source of light, his other senses were more than able to pick up the impending danger._

_But by then, it was too late._

_They attacked as one, and although Duskmon had the ability to absorb attacks, Kouichi did not._

_And so deep in his sub conscience, physical barriers between reality and the dream-world were virtually non-existent.

* * *

_

Things were silent now, as Kouji sat by his brother's bedside. The elder twin lay unconscious, nestled comfortably between clean white sheets, various machines monitoring him carefully. The curtains had been drawn back to allow access, pushed into a far corner and tied off. Morning light illuminated the room, reflecting off the white walls and dimmed by the blackout curtains covering the window.

His face was blank, devoid of any emotion, and it reminded the other all too much of his brother's near death upon their return from the Digital World. How he had lain upon a stretcher in the ER, heart rate and blood pressure non-existent...so close to death that a few more seconds could have separated them forever.

Kouichi's eyes snapped open suddenly, but they were clouded, unlike their usual crystalline blue. It was unnerving, watching his brother staring blankly at him...or at the wall behind him, he couldn't really be sure. His eyes were unfocused, seeing everything and yet nothing.

At that moment, he felt as though he was staring straight into the other's soul: his darkness, his pain...and his guilt, unhindered by any physical barriers, he could see them all in astounding clarity, and yet he could detect no light in their depths.

Nothing...but darkness, radiating negativity: pain, grief...but predominantly guilt. It made him wander what made the guilt stand out, yet wasn't given sufficient time to dwell on it as purple light suddenly burst from his jacket, or rather from the D-scanner hidden in it, just as his brother jerked in his place and screamed.

The light reached out, enveloping the Warrior of Darkness in its glow as he continued to thrash and scream. Kouji could only watch in horror as darkness attempted to burst free from the cocoon that encased it, the purple light struggling to keep the darkness within its grasp.

They struggled, back and forth, almost equal in strength. Neither light nor dark were willing to yield, and so they fought. On and on. And through it all, the elder twin continued to scream. Till the light was no longer able to contain its foe, and disappeared.

He screams died away as the darkness faded soon after, leaving the room as still and silent as it had been when the younger twin began his silent vigil.

Or not so silent...as it was only after the echo had faded from the small room that Kouji was able to detect a rather insistent beeping emitting from the various machines surrounding the bed.

It was loud, but obviously the screams had been louder, prompting Kouji to wander amidst his shock and worry why no-one had come to investigate the racket. And as soon as the thought formulated in his mind, a few doctors hurried into the room and immediately kicked him in a few not so polite words when he protested to the action.

In the empty hallway, he was once again forced to wait, unable to help his brother.

* * *

_Darkness surrounded him, trapping him in its grip, crushing him...hurting him. Desperately, he thrashed and squirmed...anything to get away, but the darkness only tightened its grip. Already, he felt the hopelessness, the despairing coldness settling in his mind, numbing his pain, his grief, his guilt...beckoning him, calling him back into the dark recedes of his mind, where he would no longer have to suffer for the sins of his past..._

_But there was something holding him back. Something warm and familiar calling out to him. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes. Thin purple light filtered through the bangs that fell over his eyes, the rest attempting to break through the darkness encasing him._

_The darkness released him abruptly, and quite unexpectedly, causing him to fall foreword due to the sudden loss of support, only for him to be caught in the struggle between the two extremes. The good and the evil, the light and the darkness, both equal in strength yet neither willing to yield, to sacrifice their own existence for the other._

_And neither should have to. The light, the darkness, they were both helping him. Caught between their struggle, he could feel the weight of both extremes crushing him. Whether intentionally or not, they were both causing him excruciating pain. He cried out: "Stop! Stop!" but on they struggled. But it was a fight that in the end neither was going to win._

_Amidst his pain, he remembered his spirits. As much as he wished to deny it, he was far more powerful as Duskmon than as Lowemon. Because as Lowemon, he had rejected a part of the darkness, a part of himself. The anger, the hate, the jealousy...the part that had made him susceptible to evil and drawn him to Cherubimon._

_Perhaps therein was the problem. The reason Duskmon had appeared in his subconscience once more. Because he had rejected that part of himself, a part that made him whole...._

_And finally, he understood, as the pain faded to a dull ache. After a moment, he opened his eyes, only to see a swirl of colours surrounding him: black, purple, indigo...melding together so that their barriers were indistinguishable. They constantly shifted, morphing repeatedly into new combinations, covering the void surrounding him. Everything else was lost in the swirl of colours._

_And throughout it all, a dull beat sounded._


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**

Welcome to the final instalment of **Pay your Price**. This story is now officially over. Unless I find some errors to fix in my final editing process, but I don't think that counts as an update. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this story, and if you have any questions, ask away.

**Disclaimer:** I think it's quite obvious what I own and what I don't by now. Seriously, if I owned Digimon, would I be troubling myself over the IB?

So read, enjoy and review the final chapter. And thank you to everyone who has stuck with me so far.

* * *

**Pay your Price**

'How...odd it must be to fear oneself. You are me, no matter how you try to deny it. Your fear created me, your anger and jealousy strengthened me. I've paid my price, and it's time for you to pay yours.'

Kouichi K & Kouji M

* * *

**Chapter 3**

By the time Kouji was eventually let back into his brother's hospital room, it was nearing noon. It was a Saturday, so that meant that both twins had only missed a half-day of school, as opposed to the full day they would have missed had it been any other day (excluding Sunday). But the two had also missed the science exam that had been the reason Kouichi has slept over at his brother's house in the first place.

Which meant that all the studying the previous night would have to be repeated when they attempted the make-up exam. If they were even allowed to re-sit it, or more specifically, if Kouji was allowed to re-sit it, considering he was missing school purely on stubborn will. As least the elder twin had a valid reason...

'Kouji.' The younger twin twisted slightly from his seat next to his brother's bed, turning to look at his father's tired face. 'I've talked to the school,' he continued, once he had his younger son's attention. 'You'll both be allowed to re-sit the exam once Kouichi gets back to school.'

He nodded distantly, before turning back to the bed. The exam was the last thing on his mind at that current time.

His father sighed. 'Your friends will also be coming as soon as school finishes for the day. They were worried, you know, when neither of you showed up for school.'

Kouji's head snapped back around in shock. His father smiled slightly at him, before stepping back out.

_We're both so lucky to have friends like those guys..._he thought, turning back to his brother's now peaceful face. _Ni-san...

* * *

_

_ 'Well?' Duskmon stood in front of him once more, the whites of his numerous eyes gleaming in the swirl of colours. His form was distinguishable amidst the abstract surroundings, yet only Kouichi himself seemed to be concrete._

_There was silence, save the dull beating that echoed in the empty space. The two were staring intently at each other; or rather, the corrupted warrior of darkness was staring at his ex-host. Kouichi seemed to be staring 'through' him as opposed to 'at' him._

_Then..._

_ 'You're not Duskmon.'_

_Another pause. Shorter. Then..._

_ 'No. I am not.'_

_A slightly longer pause._

_ 'Then...who are you?'_

_Black shoulders shrugged. 'You tell me.'_

_Kouichi thought for a moment or two. 'Yami no Yami?' he guessed finally. 'The darkness of darkness?'_

_ 'That's one way of putting it.'_

_ 'That light then...that was Hikari no Yami? The light of darkness?'_

_The dark figure replied in the affirmative._

_ 'It's the same with Duskmon and Lowemon then,' Kouichi mused, talking seemingly to himself. 'The darkness and light of darkness. Opposites, yet neither one complete without the other...is that how I am too? Is that the whole problem?'_

_ 'Well, I see that wake up call worked,' a familiar voice cut in._

_Kouichi turned in the direction of the voice, seeing a tall, humanoid digimon, holding a three-point staff and smiling under his lion-plated mask._

_ 'Lowemon?' the boy breathed._

_Smiling, the lion warrior shook his head._

_ 'Hikari no Yami then?'_

_He nodded._

_He glanced at the other, the 'Yami no Yami,' whose form seemed to be melding into the surroundings, before turning back. 'Should you be separate?'_

_ 'No,' the 'Hikari no Yami' replied, fusing into the swirl of colours like its brethren. 'It was your own refusal to accept the darker part of yourself that caused this separation.'_

_He nodded slightly, in understanding._

_ 'Remember Lucemon's ultimate sacrifice?' the Yami no Yami asked, to make sure he really did understand._

_Kouichi nodded. How could he forget?_

_ 'It is the same with all life,' it continued. 'We are opposites, equal in strength, yet strongest combined. And we are a part of you.'_

_ 'You've always bottled up your emotions,' the Hikari no Yami picked up where the other left off. 'It would have soon come to a point where you would have lost yourself completely. So your conscience decided to, for lack of a better phrase, give you a wake up call before that happened.'_

_ 'So I'm dreaming?'_

_ 'Pretty much,' the Yami no Yami replied, before fading completely. 'But the pain was real. A slap on the face of sorts. A reminder for the next time you try to deny a part of yourself.'_

_ 'The balance of the two worlds is too fragile for such an imbalance not to affect it,' Hikari no Yami explained, before it too, faded. 'That's the funny thing with darkness. It always has two sets of light. Its own...and its outside source. But it needs its own darkness too Kimura Kouichi...'_

_And then he stood alone, colours swirling around him, in perfect harmony._

_ 'Kouichi...' a distant voice echoed._

_ 'Kouji...' the warrior of darkness whispered, before he too faded into the swirl of colours.

* * *

_

The elder twin stirred slightly, before opening his eyes, blurrily taking in his surroundings. The white ceiling of the hospital room had barely registered in his mind, when a mass of blue and yellow landed on top of him.

'Wha..?' he managed to gasp out, as the blue and yellow mass began squeezing the living daylights out of him.

'You're awake,' Kouji's voice sounded from somewhere above him. 'I was so worried about you.'

He released his brother abruptly, and took a seat at the edge of the bed. Kouichi blinked once he was released, his brother's slightly blurry face coming into view. He blinked again, and stifled a yawn, as though he had just awoken, which in all honesty, he just had.

'Gee,' he said teasingly, lips twisting into a playful smirk. 'We can't have the cool, sleek Minomoto Kouji worrying now, can we?'

He laughed lightly at Kouji's agape expression; a light, soft laughter that seemed to light up the room the two were in. And this laughter was real.

Kouji just stared. 'What h-happened?' he stuttered finally.

His brother smiled at him. 'Let's just say my conscience decided to give me a slap on the face to wake me up.' He shook his head lightly. 'Could have made it a bit less painful though.'

Kouji was still staring. 'Explain.'

'Well, I guess it all began-...'

Unfortunately, a certain warrior of Flame, Kanbara Takuya chose that moment to burst into the room, followed by the rest of the gang.

'Glad to see you're lightening up Kouichi-kun,' he said happily.

'Takuya,' Kouji snapped, glaring at him, slightly irritated by the lost chance. 'You've got a horrible sense of timing, you know that.'

He grinned, clapping shorter-haired twin on the back, before raising himself up to the longer-haired twin's level. 'I know. But that was too good an opportunity to miss. I mean, how many times does someone get to see the "smooth" warrior of Light with a classical confused look.'

'Takuya!' This time, it was both twins glaring at him.

'Aww, you ruined their twin moment Taki-kun.'

* * *

The doctors never did find out what had happened, but since Kouichi was perfectly fine, they had no choice but to drop the matter. Their parents had been unsuccessful in wheedling an answer out of Kouichi, and Kouji could tell then quite honestly that he had no idea what had happened.

He was let out of the hospital the next day, after being declared injury free, and now sat atop his futon, gazing at his brother leaning against the wall of his room.

'Okaa-san's at work,' he said to the younger twin, gesturing at him to sit. He did so, on the spare futon that was left there for the times he slept over at their mother's house, leaning the back of his head against the wall behind him. 'So I guess this is as good a time as any for an explanation.'

'About time,' the younger twin grumbled good naturally. 'I can't stand not knowing what's going on.'

Kouichi laughed again (he seemed to be doing more of that lately) and proceeded to explain.

* * *

'That's it?' Kouji questioned, sounding sceptical, once the other had finished his recount.

The elder twin nodded, leaning against the wall himself.

'Then how do you explain this?' the younger asked, pulling two objects from his jacket pocket. Duskmon's blade, which appropriately chose that moment to shatter into particles of dust...and a black and grey D-scanner. 'O-kay...'

'My D-scanner? But how..?'

'Actually, that's what I wanted to know. And judging from your face, this is a new development, ne?'

Kouichi nodded, eyeing his brother's other pocket, the one he always kept his cell phone it. 'Kouji...have you looked at your cell phone recently?'

'No.' He looked confused at the odd question. 'Why?'

'Check it.'

Giving his brother an odd look, Kouji pulled his cell phone from its confinements. Only, it no longer looked like a cell, but rather a blue and black D-scanner.

'My D-scanner..?'

'So it's not only mine.'

'But why are they here?'

Kouichi shrugged, hiding a yawn with his hand. 'Trouble again? It normally it.'

'You don't sound too worried.'

'I'm sure whatever it is, we'll be able to beat it together. All of us.'

Kouji let a smile spread across his own face. 'Yeah, I'm sure we will.' Eyeing the clock on Kouichi's bedroom wall, he added: 'I'm also sure, if we don't get some sleep now, we're going to fall asleep over our science text books tomorrow. If I don't fall asleep in class first. Remember, we have to retake that science exam we missed on Tuesday, since you have to stay in bed tomorrow.'

'Yeah,' the shorter haired twin mumbled drowsily, lifting the covers off his futon and snuggling in between the sheets. 'Forgot about that. G'night Otouto-chan.'

'Night Ni-chan.'

And for the first time since his parents' divorce, he slept in peace to his heart's content, with no nightmares troubling him.

* * *

A/N: If anyone's curious, Kouichi's price that Duskmon/Yami no Yami was talking about was just his wake up call. Just thought I'd make that clear.


End file.
